Communications system and associated devices for performing communication using control channels of different repetition rates

Abstract

A base station for a mobile telecommunications system has circuitry configured to communicate with at least one user equipment, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: provide, to the at least one user equipment, control channel candidates at different repetition levels, wherein at least a first control channel candidate of a repetition level overlaps in time with at least a second control channel candidate of the same repetition level.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A base station for a mobile telecommunications system comprising circuitry configured to:
 communicate with at least one user equipment; 
 provide, to the at least one user equipment, control channel candidates at different repetition levels; and 
 provide an indication of a repetition level for at least a first control channel candidate to the at least one user equipment via downlink control information (DCI), 
 wherein at least the first control channel candidate of the repetition level overlaps in time with at least a second control channel candidate of the same repetition level, 
 wherein time overlapping control channel candidates having the same repetition level are associated with different control channel search spaces. 
 
     
     
       2. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein the control channel candidates are associated with physical downlink control channels. 
     
     
       3. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein time overlapping control channel candidates having the same repetition level are associated with the same control channel search space. 
     
     
       4. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein a starting time for at least one control channel of the control channel candidates is explicitly indicated. 
     
     
       5. The base station of  claim 4 , wherein the circuitry is further configured to transmit a starting time indicator for at least one control channel of the control channel candidates. 
     
     
       6. The base station of  claim 5 , wherein the starting time indicator is transmitted in downlink control information. 
     
     
       7. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein a starting time for at least one control channel of the control channel candidates is implicitly indicated. 
     
     
       8. The base station of  claim 7 , wherein a radio network temporary identifier implicitly indicates the starting time. 
     
     
       9. The base station of  claim 8 , wherein different radio network temporary identifiers implicitly indicate different starting times for different control channels. 
     
     
       10. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein frequency and time resources are indicated, which are used by a control channel, wherein the indication is based on a resource indication value for the control channel. 
     
     
       11. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein a third control channel candidate is associated with a first control channel transmission for a user equipment and a fourth control channel candidate is associated with a second control channel transmission for the user equipment, and wherein the second control channel transmission associated with the fourth control channel candidate pre-empts the first control channel transmission. 
     
     
       12. The base station of  claim 11 , wherein the second control channel transmission associated with the fourth control channel candidate is to be transmitted after the first control channel transmission associated with the third control channel candidate. 
     
     
       13. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein a priority is indicated for a control channel associated with a control channel candidate. 
     
     
       14. The base station of  claim 13 , wherein the priority is included in downlink control information. 
     
     
       15. The base station of  claim 13 , wherein the priority is indicated based on a radio network temporary identifier. 
     
     
       16. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein control channels have predetermined priorities. 
     
     
       17. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein control channel search spaces have predetermined priorities. 
     
     
       18. The base station of  claim 1 , wherein priorities of control channel search spaces are radio resource control configured. 
     
     
       19. A mobile telecommunications system method for providing communication between at least one base station and at least one user equipment, comprising:
 providing, to the at least one user equipment, control channel candidates at different repetition levels; 
 providing, to the at least one user equipment, an indication of a repetition level for at least a first control channel candidate via downlink control information (DCI); and 
 receiving, by the at least one user equipment from the at least one base station, the control channel candidates at different repetition levels and the indication of the repetition level of at least the first control channel candidate, 
 wherein at least the first control channel candidate of the repetition level overlaps in time with at least a second control channel candidate of the same repetition level, 
 wherein time overlapping control channel candidates having the same repetition level are associated with different control channel search spaces.